October 13, 2015 This post may contain links that compensate me. Please read the disclosure.

I’m super excited about my trip tonight at Kroger! I just save $36 without even using any coupons! On organic meat no less!

I checked out their organic meat section (not the markdown section) and looked at the expiration dates on the package. There were four organic, grass fed chuck roasts that were expiring tomorrow, but they weren’t marked down. I went to the meat counter to see if they would mark them down. They ended up taking $4 off per pound, bringing the price from $9.99 down to $5.99 lb! He said they would end up throwing them away tomorrow, so he as glad I asked (as was I!)

I’ve mentioned before that manager markdowns is one of the best ways to save on organic foods, especially hard to coupon for items like meats and eggs. But, don’t always rely on the manager markdown section. Always check the expiration dates. If the expiration date is coming up soon, they’ll likely be happy to mark the item down for you so they sell it instead of wasting it. It never hurts to ask!

Share the Savings with a Friend!

April 14, 2015 This post may contain links that compensate me. Please read the disclosure.

If you aren’t a fan of using coupons but still need to save on your grocery bill, or are looking for an extra way to save, there’s one tip that can help save up to 40% off your organic grocery bill that has worked for me.

Find a store that frequently marks down their products when it gets close to the expiration date and ask them what their markdown schedule is. Many stores mark down their products, including chains like Kroger, Target and Meijer and small local health food stores. Depending on the store, these marked down products can be found throughout the store or in a special “Manager Markdown” section.

I asked Kroger, the store I shop at most frequently, and was told that their Level 1 markdowns (the least % off) was early in the morning, their Level 2 happened around noon and their Level 3 (the highest % off, usually items that expire the next day) products are marked down at 3 pm daily.

Now, I always try to shop shortly after 3 pm. I can almost always find natural and organic products marked down by shopping at this time. Even better, the products that are marked down, are products that are hard to find coupons for, like organic meats, organic produce, organic eggs and organic dairy.

Just yesterday, I headed to Kroger shortly after 3 pm, and was able to get just under $32 worth of products for $19.54, including organic grass-fed beef and organic eggs. I also had $2.50 in digital coupon loaded to my card on these products, so after coupons, I paid $17.04!

I’ve found that perishable items like dairy, meats and eggs usually expire within a few days. Meat is easy to freeze. Eggs don’t freeze well, but we try to plan meals around what we find (breakfast for dinner, make quick breads with eggs, etc.). I often find the packaged products don’t expire for a few weeks, so it’s easy to use that up before the expiration.

I’m sure other grocery stores have systems similar to this, so the next time you are at your grocery store of choice, be sure to find the manager and ask about their markdown schedule.

Bonus Tip: Seek out products that are close to expiration but aren’t yet marked down and ask the manager for a discount. You can also try to haggle on products that are already marked down, by offering a lower price than what’s it’s already marked down to. Manager’s are often happy to take what they can get, especially if the product expires the next day.

Looking for more natural and organic deals? Go here. Don’t miss any natural and organic deals, follow me on Facebook and Twitter!

Share the Savings with a Friend!

February 9, 2015 This post may contain links that compensate me. Please read the disclosure.

Did you know that Trader Joe’s accepts coupons?? There’s a common misconception that Trader Joe’s has low prices but doesn’t accept any coupons. That’s not true! Trader Joe’s accepts all manufacturer coupons, including printable coupons.

According to their corporate office, there is no official coupon policy available, however, they will accept manufacturer coupons and abide by any limits printed on the coupon.

There are no limits to the number of coupons you can use in a transaction at Trader Joe’s (unless specified on the coupon). They will accept free product coupons as well as high value coupons.

Trader Joe’s does not offer any store coupons at this time, due to their everyday low prices.

Free cash back grocery coupon apps like Berry Cart and Checkout 51 that have no store restrictions, can be used at Trader Joe’s. You just need to verify the product qualifies and upload your receipt to receive the cash back.

If you have any trouble using coupons at Trader Joe’s, I would suggest contacting their corporate office as they did confirm with me that all locations, nationwide, accept coupons.

Now that you know that Trader Joe’s accepts coupons, check out the latest coupon deals at Trader Joe’s here! New to couponing? Go here.

Share the Savings with a Friend!

September 30, 2014 This post may contain links that compensate me. Please read the disclosure.

The other day I was at Target making a purchase. I went to my car and checked my receipt like I usually do, and noticed that I had been charged $3.39 on an item that was on sale for $2. I bought two of these products, and I was overcharged on both of them. Thankfully, I was shopping alone, so it wasn’t a huge hassle to go back in. I remembered that there was a law that required the seller to reimburse you up to 10x the amount overcharged (max. $5). Before I even needed to remind the cashier of this law, I was refunded the difference of $1.39 per item PLUS a $5 bounty bonus, as they called it, for each item I was overcharged on, so a total of $10. That was definitely worth a walk back into the store!

This was a good reminder to always check receipts. It’s more common than we think to be overcharged. Many states have laws regarding the amount you must be compensated for these errors. Here’s the Michigan law:

“You must notify the seller that you were overcharged, within 30 days of the transaction, either in person or in writing. Within two days of receiving your notice, the seller may choose to refund you the difference between the amount charged and the price displayed plus a “bonus” of ten times the difference, with a minimum of $1.00 and a maximum of $5.00. If the seller does not pay you both the refund and the bonus, you may bring a lawsuit to recover your actual damages or $250.00, whichever is greater, plus reasonable attorney fees up to $300.00.” Source: Michigan Scanner Law Michigan.gov

If you live outside of Michigan, just google “<your state> scanner law” and you should be able to find information.

Have you ever been compensated for a receipt error?

Share the Savings with a Friend!

August 12, 2014 This post may contain links that compensate me. Please read the disclosure.

Many of you have had trouble lately at Whole Foods, with different stores giving misinformation on the Whole Foods coupon policy, so I wanted to highlight some specific areas addressed in their policy. I love shopping at Whole Foods due to their lenient coupon policy, however, it seems some managers/cashiers aren’t totally informed on their guidelines.

Whole Foods DOES allow the stacking of a manufacturer coupon and a store coupon and their policy specifically states this. This means you can use TWO coupons (1 manufacturer and 1 store coupon) on a single product. Whole Foods store coupons can be found in their in-store coupon booklet, The Whole Deal or online here.

There is a limit of one Whole Deal coupon per purchase of specified product(s) per individual.

Whole Foods case discounts CAN be combined with coupons. Whole Foods offers a 10% case discount when you buy items in bulk (usually 12 of the same item). The policy specifically states that you can combine this discount with coupons.

It seems that local managers are coming up with their own policy. This published Whole Foods coupon policy is labeled a global policy, therefore all regions should be adhering to it. Nowhere on the policy does it state that the policy is based on managers’ discretion. The only mention of regional discretion is this statement: “Regions will override printed guidelines when necessary for customer/guest satisfaction.” which I interpret as more leniency on the policy, not less, since it specifically states for “guest satisfaction.”

I strongly recommend printing this policy and bringing it with you to Whole Foods or bookmarking it on your smartphone, in case you run into any confusion at the store. Just a note, I have an awesome Whole Foods that has never given me any problems about coupons, so these issues are not being experienced at every store, just some. Definitely don’t let it stop you from using coupons there as you can find a ton of FREEBIES and deals with the coupon matchups I post each week.

Whole Foods Market Global Coupon Policy

A store coupon and a manufacturer coupon can be combined on one item

When the value of the coupon exceeds the value of the product no cash back is given.

Coupons are never doubled or tripled.

All types of coupons are accepted with the exception of those that are obviously photocopied.

Competitor coupons are not accepted with the exception of Michigan stores.

Case discounts can be combined with coupons.

There is a limit of one Whole Deal coupon per purchase of specified product(s) per individual.

If there is a BOGO FREE promo, one coupon can be used for the full price item.